You Always Accept Everything
by Blue Crow
Summary: SO2 Eventual Rena x Dias. Set after the destruction of Energy Nede, the heroes return to Expel for a normal life. Rena's is about to get a whole lot more complicated though, when Dias shows up out of no where...
1. Chapter 1

One year had passed since the destruction of Energy Nede, and life had returned to normal for the young group of heroes, once again. The people of Expel had no recollection of dying or even of the large planet that had gradually inched closer and closer to theirs. No one knew of the fantastic journey Rena, Dias, Claude, Celine, Precis, and Ashton had completed. And what's more, it seemed that no one ever would.

It had taken them all a while to return to their old lives, which were, in comparison to the ones they _had _been leading, rather mundane. Celine returned to Mars and was currently teaching others how to further their heraldry, Claude had set up shop in Cross, Precis and Ashton had relocated to Salva and were currently mining ore for weaponry and machinery, Rena had returned to Arlia and was staying with her mother Westa, and Dias had been on the move ever since. He had returned briefly after their victory, to visit his family's graves, but was gone by the next morning, without a trace. Rena had been left heart broken once again. She had always reminded herself not to expect a lot from the swordsman, but however much she told herself this, it was always in vain. She had prayed to manna for the strength to tell him how she felt, but still, the words had not come out of her mouth. Claude, on the other hand, was reliable. He had always been there for her, comforted her, listened to her, and so logically they had become an item. At first, Rena had found it enjoyable, being told she was loved, going on double-dates with Precis and Ashton, but most of all the prospect of finally moving on with her life, and leaving the days of daisy picking in Shingo forest behind her, such memories had become like a haze to her now. Deep down, she knew that she was not truly happy, but she would stand by her word, regardless.

"_Rena, as the last of our species, I ask you this, live your life to the full, always keep your face towards the sun, and embrace every opportunity that comes your way, because in this life, none of us have much time." _Narl had shouted over the sounds of chaos and destruction, as her home planet was being blown apart, and with one final look at them all, he activated the crest, and sent them all back to Expel. Claude was the only option if she were to fulfil Narl's wish, and being the last of the Nedians, she felt obliged to do so.

Rena awoke to a clear blue sky, and frost creeping up her bedroom window. She smiled to herself, and relished the fact she was in a warm, cosy bed, and nowhere else. The calendar on her bedside table read November 22nd.

"22nd…22nd…what was I going to do today?" she said absent mindedly, her hand pressed against her forehead.

"PRECISE AND CELINE ARE COMING OVER! OH CRAP, I FORGOT!" the young girl leapt out of bed as if electrocuted, threw on a large leather and fur coat (which conveniently covered her pink pyjamas) grabbed a pair of boots and ran out of her house. She continued running until she reached Arlia's general store, the frosted and glistening grass crunching under her feet, and her breath rising as if it were smoke. The bell above the door gave a tinkling 'ring' as she stepped inside, and rubbed her cold hands together.

"Why, good morning Miss Rena, and to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I forgot my friends were coming over today Mr Hearn, and I need to make a stew and some desert, and oh my gosh look at the time!"

"Calm down Miss Rena, I will fetch you the ingredients immediately." And surely enough, within 3 minutes he had packed all the ingredients neatly into 3 brown bags.

"Thanks so much Mr Hearn, you're a life saver!" And with that, she reached into her coat pocket, grabbed a handful of notes, left them on the counter, grabbed her bags, and ran back to her house.

The grandfather clock chimed 12 by the time she had the stew simmering and her cake in the oven. Breathing a sigh of relief, Rena wiped her forehead with her apron, and went upstairs to get changed.

"I really do need some new clothes…" she muttered to herself, whilst thumbing through her wardrobe. Eventually, she decided on a casual pair of jeans, and a black jumper, which revealed her shoulders. She scraped her hair back into a messy bun, and decided to put on some makeup for a change.

Half an hour later her cake was ready, and she set it on the counter-top to cool. Voices were approaching the house, and when the familiar phrase

"I'm going to **FREEZE** out here" pierced the afternoon's air; Rena opened the door, and saw Precis and Celine walking down the garden path.

"RENA!" the two shouted in unison, running to the door for a group hug.

"It's been far too long!" Celine said as she shut the door behind them, glad to be out of the cold.

"A month is too long?" giggled Precis.

"Well, considering we were all living together on a daily basis," Rena said, smiling,

"Come and sit down, the stew will take a while, I over slept again!"

The three chatted right the way through lunch, and as Rena was serving the cake, Celine's eyes widened and her mouth dropped at the sight of Precis' hand.

"Precis…is that what I think it is!"

"Well, if you mean my 'big sisters' are going to be bridesmaids very soon, then it's a yes! God, I thought you'd never ask!"

"Congratulations." said Rena and Celine, beaming.

"Not long now before missy over here hears the ding-dong bells as well" grinned Celine, nudging Rena slightly. Her mind flashed quickly to a church, her dress, walking down the aisle, the rings, her bouquet, and the groom…who wasn't Claude.

She blushed.

"Absolutely!" smiled Precis, "Just don't have yours on April 24th, that's my day!"

"She wouldn't dream of it, she knows that you'd have bobot on her quicker than a dragon on Ashton!" said Celine loudly, shaking with laughter. Rena stifled a giggle by shovelling cake in her mouth; Precis began shooting side-glances from across the table at Celine.

"So when bid he popose?" Rena said hastily, forgetting her mouth was full of cake.

"This morning! It was just perfect! I must say I had a sneaky suspicion something was up, he'd been acting weird for days, staying late in the mines and all that. Turns out he was making the ring!" her face seemed to glow.

"Awww" chorused Rena and Celine.

"Would anyone like another slice of cake?"

"Oh no I couldn't possibly darling! None of my clothes will fit me otherwise!"

"OK I'll just wash these plates up then" Rena smiled, and cleared the table. So far so good, she thought to herself, they hadn't touched on the subject she was trying to avoid.

"Sooo Celine, is there a certain someone who you aren't telling us about?"

"Now why would I keep anything from my two best friends? Mother and father are still trying to push me into an arranged marriage, which you _both_ know will never happen," she sighed "Not everybody is lucky enough to find true love as you and Ashton, or Rena and Claude" The plate she was washing fell out of her hand and smashed on the floor. Celine and Precis jumped.

"Are you alright darling?" Rena took a moment to compose her face before she turned around.

"Ooops! You know me! Once a klutz, always a klutz" the three girls laughed. There was a knock at the door.

"I wasn't expecting anyone…" said Rena, puzzled. She pulled off her rubber gloves and walked over to the door, opening it half way. When she saw those chestnut eyes, it was as if somebody had punched all the air out of her body.

He'd come back.

"Are you OK Rena? Who is it?" asked Precis, snapping the girl out of her thoughts, Rena realised she hadn't spoken in minutes. Celine walked up behind her, and saw Dias. He gave a curt nod, which she returned. Suddenly, Celine threw her arms out and gave a loud, dramatic yawn.

"Ohh look at the time! Precis and I better be off! Thanks for the lovely meal Rena darling, and don't forget were going shopping in Cross next week!" Celine grabbed Precis' arm, kissed Rena on the cheek, and walked out the door.

"Oh I get it!" said Precis in a cute but dumb way. Celine smacked her own forehead, walked up the path, and out of site along with Precis.

It had become silent, and the swordsman was still standing at her door.

"…Come in" she said timidly, shutting the door behind him.

"Would you like some cake?" He gave a nod, and she set a plate in front of him with a slice on it. She took a seat opposite him.

"Surprised?" he asked in his same deep voice.

"…Yes, I _was_" she turned her head away to give her sentence some effect.

"Was?" he raised an eyebrow at her use of tenses.

"When you left the village…and when you left me _again_"

"…" He sighed.

"You never beat around the bush, do you Rena? Well, I guess I owe it to you to tell you where I went. I've spent a year searching for the bandits that killed my family. I found them, and they are no more. I faced my past head-on, and have finally stopped running. My past cannot destroy me any longer." His eyes fell on her.

"You listened to me…in L'aqua" she said, amazed.

"Of course I did. I've always listened to you" Rena was starting to feel ill. She was living a lie.

" So tell me," she began, a huge smile on her face "where did you travel, and what did you see?"

"Well" as Dias began retelling his journey, a smile inched its way onto his cold features. Rena noticed this, but chose to stay silent, his words lulling her into a dream world. They both knew it- that he was finally home.

End of the first chapter! Please tell me what you thought! It'll probably be a while before I update this one; I have my GCSE's in 2 weeks 0.0 Eeep. Where have all the SO2 fictions gone! People, get off your bums and write some new ones! If you can be bothered please leave some reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

It was past midnight before Rena could no longer disguise her yawns. She had spent the whole evening listening to Dias, just like she used to all those years ago. Night had descended without either of them noticing, and the view from the kitchen window had been replaced by a curtain of darkness and diamonds.

"Rena, could I possibly st-"

"You needn't ask me that question Dias, you're forgetting that this is your house too," she smiled "Just let me go upstairs and make up one of the beds" Rena rose from her seat, and ascended the stairs, her mind racing. She was locked in a battle with her conscience, and had no idea what to do.

_I love Dias with all my heart, but he is unreliable…then again when he is here everything makes sense in my life. You mean too much to Claude to simply throw him away, everyone would think you were heartless. I have always loved Dias. You could learn to love Claude. You're heartless…_

"I'm heartless," she muttered.

"What was that?" a voice questioned. She spun around, completely caught off her guard.

"Oh Dias, you scared me! Nothing I was just talking to myself…your bed is ready," she said with a feeble smile. She walked out of the room, but paused at the doorway.

"Dias, may I ask you something?" she said, her back facing him.

"You may"

"Will you be here in the morning?" There was a slight pause.

"Yes, I will"

She smiled and her eyes filled up with tears, which he could not see.

"Goodnight Dias"

"Goodnight" she closed the door behind her, and walked across the hallway into her room.

Once she was changed she got into bed, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow. The young Nedian was troubled by dreams of two boxes standing in front of her. Whichever she moved towards resulted in mixed cries of approval and objection.

"_NO THE OTHER!"_

"_THAT'S THE CORRECT CHOICE!"_

"_ARE YOU BLIND?"_

After what seemed like hours, she finally gave in, screaming,

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"_

"Rena" someone shaking her threw her back into reality. Her eyelids snapped open in shock, but she calmed down instantly when she realised it was only Dias at her bedside.

"You were shouting in your sleep"

"Oh…" she hoped the darkness of her room would hide the blush creeping into her cheeks.

"I'm sorry for waking you Dias, I was just having a bad dream."

"It's no problem" he said in a hollow voice, and turned to leave.

Rena hesitated for a moment before she spoke.

"Would you ever give up something if you knew deep down you would be happier without it?"

"…I think your dream answered that for you," he said coldly, closing the door behind him. She put her head in her hands, fighting back tears of frustration.

_What was I shouting? What did he hear?_

Wrapping herself up in her bed sheets, she fell once again into a troubled sleep.

Rays of pale sunlight fell from her bedroom window, illuminating the face of the carriage clock that stood on her bedside table. It read 8 o'clock.

Rena rubbed her eyes, and started to untangle herself from her bed sheets. The village of Arlia had been covered in a thick blanket of white, which sparkled serenely in the morning's sun.

"Wow, snow sure is early this year" she yawned, pulling on her dressing gown and slippers.

_I hope I didn't shout anything about Claude last night…_

"Good morning" said a fully dressed Dias as Rena entered the living room. He was drinking a cup of coffee, and upon catching the smell Rena wrinkled the top of her nose instantly.

"I still don't understand why you like that disgusting stuff"

"Of course you wouldn't, coffee isn't for children" Dias said, a smirk creeping across his face.

"I-am-not-a-child" huffed Rena "I am 19 years old, and an adult thank you very much!"

"Calm down, I was only joking" Dias sighed, "Yes, you're quite right, you're all grown up"

Rena was about to say something when Dias cut across her.

"So how's everyone in the group doing?"

"Well Precis and Ashton are engaged! She only told Celine and I last night! Celine's still teaching in Mars, and Claude is still working in Cross."

"So you two aren't engaged yet?"

"W-what?" Rena spluttered.

"You and Claude aren't engaged yet?"

"No we're…wait how did you know about us?"

"Id be a fool if I couldn't see what was right in front of my face" he said coldly. Rena became agitated. How could he think it was Claude she cared about?

"No Dias you are a fool. The truth is you can _never_ see what's right in front of your face!" she bit her lip, waiting to see his reaction. Dias raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't mean to offend you, it was only a simple question," he said. She was close to tears again.

"Well I **meant **to offend you. You're always s-so blind" with that she ran up the stairs and got dressed. Within minutes she had stormed out the front door and into the bitter cold, leaving Dias in the living room still drinking his coffee.

"…"

Rena ran out of the village, and kept on running until the stitch in her side could no longer be ignored. Panting, she leant against a nearby tree and allowed her eyes to fill with tears. _How could I have let this happen? If I had just told him how I felt when we were on Nede this wouldn't be happening. At least then I would know if he cared about me…_

Tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes.

_What if he doesn't care?

* * *

_

A/N: Sorry it's such a short chapter, Im just realllly tired with exams and everything. Thank you to Alcoholic for reviewing! This thing/story has had 30 hits, so why do I not have another 29 reviews? hehe please review people! It makes me want to get off my bum and write some more! Tell me what you thought, I'll try to update with a much longer chapter soon! 


	3. Chapter 3

Dias was still puzzled an hour after Rena had stormed out.

"She always seemed happy with Claude, so why did she get so angry when I mentioned him?" sighing, and shrugging his shoulders, Dias pulled his cloak off the coat rack and set out for a walk in the Shingo forest to air his head.

Rena, on the other hand, was on her way through Salva. The industrious town looked so strange covered in glistening snow, which gave a stark contrast to its usual sooty appearance. She banged on the door of number 29, and within a few seconds Ashton Anchors stood beaming in the doorway, both Gyro and Ururun hissing excitedly at the site of their old companion.

"Rena!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a brotherly hug. "I was just about to call for you to see if you wanted to come with me to Herlie to see Eleanor. I think this is the first time she's ever been outside to play in the snow!"

"Of course I'll come! I can't wait to see her happy face." Rena smiled, pushing the past days events to the back of her mind.

"Oh and Ashton, congratulations! You and Precis are going to be so happy together"

Ashton seemed a little sheepish as her last words fell.

"I know…I simply couldn't believe it when she said yes".

They both laughed.

It took them 5 minutes of whistling into the frozen air before a pink bunny appeared.

"I much preferred travelling by Synard" Ashton said as they raced towards Herlie. He had turned a light shade of green by the time they passed Mars village.

"Yes, but could you imagine the looks on everyone's faces if we turned up flying on one!" she sighed, reminiscing about her home planet.

"Rena, look!"

She turned her gaze towards Herlie, which was fast approaching.

"The sea is frozen!" she breathed. All around the port sailors were smashing the ice with metal pipes, in the hopes of breaking through the top layer. The captain looked furious, as he would have to cancel all departures to Lacour for at least a week.

"It's beautiful" she muttered. Rena and Ashton jumped off the bunny, and fed it some treats which Rena always kept in her pocket. They walked up, and through the town until they reached Eleanor's house.

Her mother, Isabelle answered the door.

"I thought I'd be seeing you today! Oh, Ellie's going to be so pleased her big brother and sister have come. Ellie, come down, you have visitors" she shouted. A little girl dressed in a red coat with black boots, gloves and a scarf walked onto the landing.

"Big brother Ashton and big sister Rena!" she squealed, jumping down the stairs and giving them both a hug. "Are we going to play in the snow? Can we make a snowman? Pleeeeeeease" she whined, tugging on Rena's sleeve.

"Of course we can Ellie. Race you outside" the three of them ran outside, as Isabelle shouted

"Don't forget to come back inside when you're cold!"

As the sun was beginning to set, there was a very handsome snowman sitting outside of Eleanor's house. He had black eyes, a carrot nose, twig arms, and was wearing Rena's blue scarf.

"I want to name him Steve!" Eleanor giggled excitedly.

"Then Steve it is" grinned Ashton.

"Thank you for today big brother and big sister. I wish it didn't have to end."

"You don't need to thank us Ellie, we had a great day too!" Rena smiled.

"Promise you'll come back and see me soon!"

"We promise," they said in unison.

As Rena and Ashton left Herlie, waving to Eleanor who was at her window, their conversation took a turn for the worse.

"So how is Dias?"

"Oh…so Precis did tell you. Well he's fine, stubborn as ever" she forced a grin.

"Ah so he hasn't changed a bit. I'd like to see him again, it seems a lifetime ago since we were all in battle together." Rena was deep in thought, and didn't seem to hear Ashton.

"Are you alright?" he questioned.

"Oh- yes I'm fine, sorry I was miles away just then."

"Has everything that's been happening lately confused you a bit?" he asked, concerned.

"Just a bit" she sighed.

They walked in silence for a moment.

"…You still love him don't you?" Ashton was the only one she had ever confided in, and she was regretting it at that very moment.

"Come on Rena, you know you can tell me anything. Anything in the world." Her eyes glazed over with tears, and she felt his arms circle her. She sobbed into Ashton's shirt, letting all her worries and anxieties spill from her eyes.

"I love him. B-but he doesn't love me. He never will. I'm s-still with Claude and I shouldn't be…Dias s-still looks at me as if I was a child. J-just a stupid, idiot child. He c-could leave any day and not come back a-ag-again. I don't know w-who I am any more Ash, I don't even know what I'm d-doing." He continued rubbing her back, trying to calm her down.

"Shh. Everything will work out in the end, I promise. You're just going through a tough time right now. I admit I don't know Dias as well as you do Rena, but I'd bet a lot that he _does_ love you…You'll have to face Claude sometime, and tell him this, but we'll all be behind you. Celene, Precis and me. We'll _always_ be there for you." Ururun sneezed, which made Rena laugh feebly.

"Thank you" she whispered.

It was pitch black by the time Rena returned to Arlia, and the village was silent except for the noise of her treading through the snow. No one was in the living room, so she decided she would go straight to bed. Her stomach twisted horribly as she walked up the stairs, wondering if Dias had left already. If he had, she probably wouldn't see him ever again. She opened the guest bedroom door ever so slightly, and to her joy saw his long silvery hair draped across the pillow. She changed into her pink pyjamas, and crept silently into the bedroom. As she lifted the covers, his chestnut eyes opened slightly. She lay with her back against his chest, and he slid his arm round her waist to pull her close.

"Goodnight" he whispered. Rena was asleep in minutes, and wore the same happy, content smile as she had when they were younger. But Dias lay there for hours, wide-awake, and more terrified than he had ever been in his life.

* * *

Woooow chapter 3 that took so long to write! I'm glad I'm continuing with it, though. Thanks to all 2 reviewers (-.-) And a message to Milena, I checked out your fan art and it was amazing! You're very talented! Please review everyone! 


End file.
